Member GoldenGryphon
MemberForum Replies Created
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I’m a fan of Dorkings. I’ve had about half my flock made up of them at any given time over the past 10 years or so. The Silver-greys from Murray McMurray have really lost a lot of the telling breed characteristics, but the chicks I got from Sandhill Preservation are wonderful. They are a short, 5-toed breed that characteristically has a “sweet meaty breast”. They are slow growing.
Depending on where you get them and what variety, there are a range of combs and colors, but I’ve found the temperament remains the same – broody hens that lay a small to medium cream/off-white egg, nice roosters with good tempers (not attacking me!) and good size.
Right now I have 8 roosters in a 32 member flock and am planning a cull. Other than some minor squabbles, and my lead roo tackling an eagle and taking some damage from that, they seem to get along and work together really well. I have watched three of the roos stand together against a dog that wandered into our yard, and watched two of them work to distract a feral cat.
As a group, they are great foragers but don’t stray too far from home. I have had trouble with Easter Eggers and Dominique who wandered off while free ranging, but the Dorkings don’t go much beyond about 5 feet from the fenced yard and seem to like staying within easy sprinting distance.
As with any living creature, ymmv. Good luck finding a good breed. I would think that most of the dual purpose/heritage breeds would be good meat producers. That is a good part of why they were kept around so long.
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We’re lucky enough to have had a breeding pair move into the area about 15 years ago. We now have at least 2 breeding pairs in the area, along with Red-tailed and Broad-tailed Hawks. Turkey Vultures and Buzzards are a constant. Gotta love the Big Birds!
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Buckeyes (the chicken breed) were developed just for your area by someone who lived there. As far as I know, it’s the only breed developed by a woman, and they are a dual purpose, pea combed chicken. Nice birds with a lovely color. Everyone I’ve chatted with online with them has liked them, but ymmv.
Good luck finding your perfect match!
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I keep Dorkings, Silver-grey and a few other varieties. The Silver-grey do well enough in the heat, but I make sure they have shade and some shallow water containers. They will stand in the shallow water in late July through August when we’re hitting 109F and high humidity.
What you’re looking for in a chicken is a leaner, smaller bird with large comb and wattles. Leghorns and their close relatives, as well as Mediterranean birds, and types from South America.
I’m in 9A, so my birds have to be able to deal with heat, humidity, and the occasional sudden Arctic blast. What your birds will need to deal with depends on where you are in Arizona and how much protection you can give them.
Here’s a list of Chicken breeds that’s fun to go through: https://www.chickensandmore.com/chicken-breeds/
Good luck finding your perfect match!
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I have African geese with my flock and they scare away most of the raptors, but I still had a Caracara who didn’t mind the geese but *did* mind the Very Angry Rooster who attacked it when it went after a pullet. The pullet lost, the rooster won, and I gave the geese a stern talking to about sleeping on duty.
Other than fencing them in and putting netting over the top of their run, there’s not much that is perfect protection. The best you can hope for is deterrence, warning, and survival-minded chickens.